Murray
Presbyterian Messenger
“Acts
for Today?”
Over the
past several months our congregation has been studying the book of Acts. The book of Acts tells us how the early
church developed and grew under the power and direction of the Holy
Spirit. In Acts we also learn about
Peter, Stephen, Paul, and other important biblical figures. Acts is essentially a history of the early
church and its leaders. The title of
the book—Acts—refers to the actions of the apostles.
One of
the goals of our church is to help people grow in their knowledge of the
scriptures. Another key task is to help
our individuals apply the scriptures to their lives. In order to accomplish these two tasks our church is starting an
adult Sunday School starting Sunday, March, 14 at 9:00 a.m. This class will be meeting at the Murray
Town Hall and we will be diving into the book of Acts.
This
class will be utilizing a fantastic DVD teaching series called Deepening
Life Together: Acts. These DVD
bible study videos are a great way to learn how to apply Acts to our
lives. They will also help us as we
seek to grow in our understanding of this important biblical book. The series has eight sessions and each
session lasts for about fifteen minutes.
After watching the videos we will have a discussion time. We will also be having doughnuts and
juice. I want to invite you to
be apart of this adult Sunday School learning opportunity.
In Christ,
Jeff

Shirley
Riekemann:
Prayers for healing and strength. (825 N. Cotner Blvd – Lincoln, 68505)
Larry Bonnema:
Prayers for healing and strength. (1201 Main Street – Plattsmouth, 68048)
Mary Jo Cobb:
Prayers for healing and strength. (2350 East Lake Drive – Union, 68455)
Craig Mallett:
Prayers for healing and strength. (8803 2nd Ave. – Murray, 68409)
Gladys Hauschild:
Prayers for healing and strength. (7606 McKelvie Rd. – Nehawka, 68413)
Betty Tepner:
Prayers for healing and strength for Betty and strength for Dixie Craft. (5309 Crogans Way Rd. Council Bluffs,
IA 51501)
Don Loftin: Prayers for healing & strength. (9500
Milford Rd.-Beaver Lake, NE 68048)
Dave, Jenny, Samantha & Ella Cook: Prayers of strength for the family &
healing for Ella.
(9923 12th Street – Murray
NE 68409)
Dennis Gochenour:
Prayers for healing and strength. (404
N. Elm Street – Weeping Water, NE
68453)
Nessie Swedlund:
Prayers for healing and strength. (P.O.
Box 61 – Murray, NE 68409)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Additional
Prayer Concerns:
Rich Wordekemper:
Prayers for Rich and his family as they mourn his mom’s passing. (3700 S.
Westport Ave. #2659 – Sioux Falls, SD
57106-6360)
Cathy Balfour
as she battles cancer. (11509 A Street-Avoca, NE 68307)
Nickey Johnson: Prayers for Nickey and her family as they
mourn the passing of her mother and father.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Lottie Johnson:
Continual prayers. (Ambassador, 1800 14th Ave. #208, Nebraska
City, NE 68410)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Remember the members of our Armed Forces,
who are serving overseas and stateside:
Dave Cook
Troy Froistad
Kris Kidd
Philmore Williams
Continued Prayers of comfort for:
The Family of Rich Wordekemper
The Family of Nickey Johnson

If you are interested in ordering
an Easter Lily in Memory of or to Honor someone you love, please complete one
of the forms on the back table at church or complete the form below and send to
the church. The flowers will be
available the week prior to Easter and are $7.00 each. Please return the form with your money to
the church office.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Easter
Lily Order Form
Number of Easter Lilies:__________
In
Loving Memory (Honor) of:______________________________________________
I would like to take my plant(s) after the worship
service: YES or NO
(circle one)
OR
My plant(s) may be delivered by the Deacons: YES
or NO (circle one)
CHECKS/CASH ($7.00 each) need to be PAID by Sunday,March
28th .
Please note in “Memo” line of check – “Payment for
Easter Lily” for the Treasurer’s information.
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This is just a reminder to all the lucky women who will be
attending the Women’s Retreat…
It is this Friday and Saturday!!!
What we’ll do…
·
Hear from a passionate and gifted
speaker:
Dr. Nancy Grisham
·
Reflect on God’s love expressed fully
through Jesus
·
Relax and enjoy some “girl time”
·
Rejuvenate our faith and our friendships
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please
prayerfully consider assisting the church with apportionment this year.
($28.75) Thank You
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

March 10th at 7 PM
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Murray
Presbyterian Church
T-Shirts
A new shipment of T-Shirts has arrived!! We have all sizes available. If you would like one, please see one of the
Deacons. The cost to you is $3.00.
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Please call 235-3323 or
e-mail (Harold-laverne@inebraska.com)
LaVerne Ebner if you have anything to put out on the prayer chain – no matter
how small you may think it is!
*****************************************************

Please remember the food pantry and those in need as you shop at
the grocery store. If you have any
donations and you cannot get to the food pantry to drop them off, please bring
them to church and we will be happy to deliver them for you!
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If you are interested in attending a Membership Class - Pastor
Jeff McDonald will be glad to talk to you!
Please call (402) 682-1439
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Liturgists
If you are interested, please sign-up on the
sheet on the back table. Please
participate and know that your service to the church is appreciated. A special Thank You to all who have done so
in the past.
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Please visit our website at www.murraypresbyterian.com to see
the weekly bulletin, congregational life, and the monthly newsletter!
Tell a
friend!!!!!
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Happy
Anniversary to:
Dave
& Jenny Cook 3/5
Joe
& Sue Eldred 3/22
Jim
& Nickey Johnson 3/24
Tim
& Karen Savage 3/25
Dave
& Patty Clawson 3/29
Jeff
& Krista McDonald 3/29

Lois
Meeske 3/1
Bruce
Weisz 3/1
Bruce
Heylmun 3/5
Jerry
Heylmun 3/5
Larry
Swedlund 3/6
Drew
Swedlund 3/8
Donna
Tritsch 3/10
Marci
Wordekemper 3/11
Dixie
Craft 3/12
Madison
Vershchoor 3/12
Savannah
Miner 3/15
Joyce
McCaulla 3/16
Ann
Wieringa 3/18
Karen
Gregerson 3/25
Gracie
Kliegl 3/27
Cindy
Loftin 3/30
*If your Anniversary or Birthday is incorrect, please call
the church so we can correct the error.
Where we’ve been in the Bible:
Study Guide
-Corinth, Greece—major ancient commercial center. Corinth has been referred to as the Las
Vegas of the ancient world.
-Paul defends his ministry against false
teachers—Judaizers.
-In 2 Corinthians Paul focuses on the centrality of the
cross.
-Paul encourages the Corinthian Christians to be generous.
-Paul trusts in God for strength when he is weak and
things are difficult.
-Philippi, Macedonia (Northern, Greece). Military retirement community.
-Very generous in their giving.
-Paul calls the Philippians to imitate Christ’s humility.
-He also instructs them to not put confidence in ritual,
but rather in Jesus Christ.
-The quarrel between Eudia and Syntyche. Paul pleads with them to agree with each
other in the Lord.
-Paul tells the church at Philippi to put into practice
whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and
praiseworthy.
-Colosse—located in what is today southwestern Turkey.
-Small town.
Various cults have an extremely strong presence in the community.
-Paul stresses that Christ is the Supreme creator and
ruler of the universe.
-He teaches that Jesus is not just a way to God—Jesus is
God.
-True fullness is to be found in Jesus Christ and not
human traditions—festivals, religious diets, etc.
-Paul urges the Christians in Colosse to pray constantly
and share their faith.
-Paul wrote this letter to a wealthy man in Colosse named
Philemon.
-Paul writes a very warm and appreciative letter to
Philemon asking him to welcome back a slave named Onesimus.
-Onesimus had apparently stole money from Philemon and
then ran away.
-Onesimus had a life changing
conversion to God and somehow became friends with Paul in Rome. Now Paul wants Philemon to welcome back
Onesimus as a brother in Christ.
-Thessalonica, Macedonia (Northern Greece).
-Thessalonica was a large commercial center and a major
seaport.
-Earlier Paul had started a riot there when he visited the
town and preached the “Good News.”
(Acts 17)
-Paul gives thanks for the Thessalonian
Christian’s faith, defends his own ministry there, and rejoices that the
Thessalonian Christians have accepted the word of God as it truly is the word
of God (ch. 1 & 2). These believers
are doing a great job of sharing the faith.
-Thessalonian Christians are being
persecuted by unbelievers and tempted by Satan, but their faith is remaining
strong (ch. 3).
-Paul gives instructions in Christian living—live a quite
life, work, earn respect from outsiders by how you live (ch. 4). Avoid immorality and love each other.
-Paul explains what will happen to believers—both the
living and the dead—at the time of the second coming of Jesus (ch. 5). Encourage one another and build each other
up.
Galatians
-Galatia (Central Modern Turkey)
-Paul writes this letter to the church in the region known
as Galatia. Written circa 47-48 A.D.
-The letter to the Galatians was written to emphasize the
complete sufficiency of justification by faith alone in one’s relationship with
God.
-This letter stresses that God has freed us from the
project of self-salvation.
-The Galatian churches—where many new believers were
Gentiles—were being strongly influenced to add traditional Jewish beliefs and
practices to their newfound faith.
-While it was quite natural for Jewish Christians to
continue to worship as they always had in the past, to require the same for
Gentiles was, to Paul, tantamount to promoting a different gospel.
-James was written as a
practical letter to Jewish Christians scattered throughout the Mediterranean
world.
-James was the half brother of
Jesus.
-Ch. 1:Don’t just be a hearer of
God’s Word (scripture), but be a doer.
Be quick to listen and slow to speak.
-Ch. 2: Favoritism is forbidden
in the church. We are not saved by
deeds, but deeds give evidence that you have faith. Intellectual assent to God is not enough we must follow Him in
our daily lives.
-Ch. 3: James focuses on the
need to control your tongue.
-Ch. 4: Friendship with the ways
of the world is hatred towards God.
Christians are to submit themselves to God and follow Him.
-Ch. 5: As we face suffering we
are to be patient and stand firm.
1 Peter
-1 Peter was written by Peter to
suffering Christians who were experiencing persecution.
-Written to various churches in
northern Asia Minor (present day Turkey).
Written in the 60s.
-Peter reminded them of their
heavenly hope and eternal inheritance so that they would be strengthened to persevere
in the midst of suffering.
-He emphasized that believers
are called to live lives of holiness and love in the midst of trials.
-Live like living stones who are
built into a spiritual house with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone.
-Respond in a godly way to
suffering and persecution. Suffering
can produce maturity in the Christian.
-Resist Satan and realize that
there are other Christians suffering throughout the world.
1 John
-The purpose of this letter was
to expose false teaching about Christ and to give believers assurance of their
salvation.
2 John
-This short letter was written
to warn against entertaining visitors who do not teach the truth about
Jesus. This is the only New Testament
letter addressed to a lady.
Acts
-Ch. 1= Jesus promises his
apostles that they will receive the Holy Spirit. He also tells his apostles that they “will be my witnesses,
telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”
-Ch. 2:1-21=On the day of
Pentecost the Holy Spirit Comes to the early Christian believers. A crowd from Jerusalem is attracted to where
the Christians are.
-Ch. 2:22-41=Peter preaches to
the crowd that Jesus has been raised from the dead and is the Messiah. He speaks to the crowd and they repent of
their sins and turn to God.
-Ch. 2:42-47=Luke chronicles how
the early Christian believers devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching, and
to fellowship, and to the sharing of meals, and to prayer. Believers in the early church shared their
possessions and money with those in need.
Each day the Lord added to the church those who were being saved.
-Ch. 3:1-11=Peter heals the lame
man at the gate.
-Ch. 4:1-16=Peter and John are
arrested for healing the lame man.
They’re brought before the Sanhedrian Court. Peter gives an inspiring speech before the court and he and John
are released.
-Ch. 5:1-11=Luke records how
Ananias and Saphira tried to deceive the church financially. God strikes them
both down for their deception.
-Ch. 6:1-7=The church dispute
between the Hebrew speaking widows and the Greek speaking widows concerning the
distribution of food. Seven men
appointed to oversee fair distribution.
Church continues to grow.
-Ch. 7=Stephen becomes a leader
in church and is subsequently arrested.
He is brought before the Sanherdian Court and defends himself. He is stoned to death. Saul is present at Stephen’s killing and
approves of it.
-Ch. 9:1-19=Paul’s Damascus Road
encounter with Jesus. Through this
encounter Paul goes from being one of the greatest enemies of the church to
being the church’s greatest missionary.
-Ch. 9:19b-30=Paul’s early
preaching and threats to his life.
-Ch. 10=The conversion of
Cornelius.
-Ch. 11:19-30=The rise of the
Gentile Church in Antioch. Antioch is
the first place believers are called “Christians.”
-Ch. 12:1-19=God frees Peter
from prison.
Submitting
Information ForThe Bulletin Or Newsletter
If you
have information that needs to be put in the Congregational Life or Newsletter,
please send an email to the church address, which is murraypresbyterian@windstream.net
Thank
you!